Don't Stoke The Fire
by CHAILYN
Summary: Pre-series. A year after Sam leaves for Stanford, Dean and John end up having a hunt just outside of Palo Alto.
1. Chapter 1

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Don't Stoke The Fire

**_-1-_**

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Summay: Pre-series. Set one year after Sam leaves for Stanford. John and Dean have a hunt in the area.

Disclaimer: Nope. Not Mine.

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Dean was itching for a fight.

He and John had been in this dingy little motel for a week now, researching, and looking for a job...but that part he could handle. The part that just killed him and left him itching for a fight was that he knew they were no more than a half hour outside of Palo Alto, and as much as he contemplated getting in his car and going to see Sam...he wouldn't. He couldn't just sit there and be the visiting big brother, not when he still couldn't bring himself to forgive Sam for leaving like he did. But he couldn't just sit there and ignore the fact that they were in the middle of hunting a demon in the same town Sam was in...so he compromised. He told his dad he was taking a break, going to get a drink, and he had every intention of doing that and then driving by Sam's dorm...just to check on things.

Things never turn out how you plan though.

--

The night was early, and so John had no objection to Dean getting a drink...he didn't blame him either, he could use a drink too. Perhaps after Dean went to bed, he'd go to the bar and have a few...it wasn't like they were making a bit of headway on the case.

"Don't stay out to late, and keep up your guard; we don't know exactly what it is yet that we're up against in this town." John called after him.

"No worries." Dean grinned, and grabbed his shotgun off of the table, "Just as a precaution."

John smiled, he could always count on Dean, twenty-three and he was a better hunter still than most men twice his age. "Good boy." He said approvingly, unable to shake the slight feeling that there was something a bit off about Dean. The whole week they'd been here he'd been acting extremely odd, he wanted to just chalk it up to nerves, but couldn't help but wonder if Dean was bothered by the fact they were close to Stanford. He knew Dean and Sam didn't speak, and he could probably blame himself for that. He shouldn't have handled Sam leaving the way he had, he screwed up there. _Not anything new, John. _Since Sam had left he had to admit he had taken a while for the gnawing painstaking fear to dull into a throbbing worry for his well being.

He'd called Sam when they got there, leaving the part that they were there conveniently out of the equation, and warning him to stay on his guard since there was a possible demon in the area. The conversation went about the same way it always did.

_"There's a good chance there's a demon in the area, Sam, I want you to be careful." _

_"I always am." _

_"I-I know. Good."_

_"Is that it, Dad?"_

_"Yeah, that's about it." _

_"Okay. Bye." _

Sam didn't ask about his brother anymore, but John didn't know that they didn't speak at all when he asked Dean if he remembered to call Sam for his birthday, he'd forgotten again and called up the following day, but Dean's response shocked him.

"No. Sam and I haven't talked since he left for Stanford."

It had stunned John and he had no response to it. But what could he say, he was the one who told his son that if he was going to be leaving then not to come back.

God help him he didn't even want to picture what Mary must think of what he'd managed. _I am so sorry._

_--_

Dean stopped at the bar first. If he was going to do this, really do this...he was going to need a couple drinks.

He didn't even know yet how he was going to do this. He knew where Sam's school was, he knew the exact location of Sam's dorm. It was a Friday night but Sam would be there, in his room, studying. It was just who Sam was.

Dean could walk up to his dorm, knock on the door, and Sam would be there...accompanied only by a giant pile of books.

But he couldn't.

So he would settle on driving down in the Impala and just sitting there for a bit, checking up on things, checking up on his little brother.

Sam probably wouldn't believe it, but he missed him. He did. It was why he never called, he couldn't, because he couldn't figure how easy it had been for him to just up and leave, whilst for him it felt like…abandonment. It was like losing his mom all over again, except Sam, Sam left by choice. And you don't leave your family, you just don't.

--

Sam could list half a dozen reasons off the top of his head why this was a bad, stupid, and most importantly, an illegal idea. And yet he went along.

Mike, his room mate, had gotten the idea to get everyone together and go out for drinks. Sam usually declined, as a matter of fact, he considered declining again, but Mike and Jess talked him into it--given Jess could talk him into a lot of things...but he couldn't help the gnawing feeling that he should have just stayed back at the dorm and studied for his government exam

After the call from his dad...he probably shouldn't have left his dorm, if his dad was worried enough about something being around their probably was, but the way Sam saw it, that made it a double edged sword. If John thought there was a demon here...he and Dean were probably here too,

And truth was, that was why he decided to leave, it was kind of a fleeting...completely impossible million in one chances of happening but Mike wanted to go to D'Arcy's , it was on the outskirts of town, a sort of rural place, if his dad and brother were in town...it was the kind of place they'd be. Dean especially. And if there was the chance...he didn't want to miss it.

Yeah, this was stupid.

--

"Just a beer." Dean told the red-headed bartender with a smile.

"Coming right up." She left to go and get it, and Dean watched her walk away.

She was pretty, but he figured her for about thirty-five and he'd learned the hard way once or twice to never date a girl more than ten years older than him. It didn't matter, tonight he wasn't looking for a girl for a few days, he was trying to figure out what he was going to do.

He knew what he was going to do. He was going to drive to Stanford, he was going to sit in the Impala and make sure there was nothing lurking around on campus, then go back to the motel and try to find the damn demon they were after.

It was simple, to the point, and yet there was one thing that bothered him. _I can't just walk away._

"Here ya go." She said, setting the beer in front of him. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." Dean looked up at her for a moment, and took a swig.

Maybe he was wrong, maybe he should just be focusing on the job. After all, that was why they were here…there was a bad ass demon in town and they were supposed to be taking it down…_excuses, excuses, Dean. You're just afraid you might actually see Sam._

Damn straight he was.

"Sugar, you okay?" The red-headed bartender asked him walking back over.

"Uh, yeah I'm good." Dean said, god since when had he turned into such a crappy liar?

"You sure? You look like you waging world war two inside that head."

Dean couldn't help but to smile. "Just thinking on things."

"Ah, aren't we all." She smiled at him, he was cute young….maybe a university student. "Mary Catherine Margaret , but you can call me Kitty."

"Kitty?" Dean smirked, "Didn't like the three first names?"

"The curse of having an Irish dad, I got the terrible temper and the names of a nun." Kitty said, "But before we start judging names, I think its only fair you share."

"Dean." He said.

"I like it." She popped open a beer and took a swig. "So, what's got a handsome young man like yourself in a backward bar like this."

"Passing through town." Dean replied.

"Hmmm…and thinking on things?"

"A therapist too?"

"I'm Irish my dear, we're utterly impervious to psychoanalysis, we make perfect therapists."

Dean couldn't help but to laugh. He almost wanted to tell her what he was thinking...leaving out the bit about demons of course.

"We make great comedians too, but we owe _that _to crazy families." Kitty added.

Dean said nothing and took a sip of his beer he should have been gone by now, not sitting here with an Irish bartender named Kitty , listening to her try to psychoanalyze him.

"So," She said after a moment. "You have your Versailles?"

"Huh?" Dean was confused, she lost him there.

"The treaty…ended the war." Kitty laughed, "Ah, my references are lost on my patrons."

"You own the bar?"

"My dad opened it when he came over from Ireland, my older brothers weren't much interested so my dad finally was forced to pass it on to his daughter. And boy, do you know how to change subjects something fierce, you sure you're not Irish?"

Dean shook his head, "No."

"Now, you should know that Kitty's got an answer to every question. I'm an oracle of sorts, and if the answer is beer…why it just happens its on the house."

"Free beer for sob stories?"

"I'm a sucker for a sad story." Kitty told him, pulling out a bottle of whiskey, and a couple of shot glasses. "To start us off."

Dean took it happily, he could use some hard liquor. "I'm just passing through."

"Aren't we all." Kitty said. "Family in the area?"

"Something like that." Dean said.

Kitty poured him another shot, "You remind me of my brother, he was a terribly stubborn one too. But I always made him talk."

"Hard liquor was his breaking too?"

"Nope." Kitty grinned, "I smacked him aside the head."

Dean laughed. "Sounds like me and my brother." Once the words left his mouth, Dean was surprised that he said it. He didn't even mention Sam to his dad if he could.

"You close to your brother?" Kitty asked.

Dean shrugged, "Used to be."

"Ah." Kitty nodded her head knowingly pouring more whiskey. "Could your brother be in the approximate area that you're passing through?"

"Stanford." Dean told her.

"Hmmm…so he's quite a smart one."

"Always was."

Kitty had to admit, he was a challenge…the young ones always cracked so easily. Owning up to their problems by the second shot, like a teenage boy getting caught with dad's sports illustrated swimsuit edition.

"Now Dean, would I be wrong if I ventured to say you're contemplating visiting this brother?"

"Nope." Dean said, "Kitty, you would not be wrong."

Dean could not believe he'd sat here and talked to this woman…he should have been at Stanford by now.

Kitty looked like she was about to say something when she was interrupted by another woman, younger, closer to Dean's age, but she seemed to be in a frenzy.

"Kitty there's a giant problem!" She exclaimed.

Kitty smiled, as if this was a nightly thing. "Dean, this is my niece Roxanne."

"Roxy." She corrected, "Kitty…"

"Right," Kitty sighed, it was always a big problem with the girl. "Calm down, take a breath, and what the fire truck is the problem?"

"Um…the group that just came in, I think they're underage."

"Well, its not a catastrophe." Kitty sighed, "Are you sure?"

"Well, the one guy had this ID that looked awfully real but….I'm not so sure about the others."

"If it quacks like a duck…" Kitty muttered. "Well, take out their food and I'll get to them in a minute."

Roxy rushed away.

"Sweet girl, and I love her to death…but her boyfriend's a right piece of work, and she thinks a hang-nail is the apocalypse."

Dean grinned, "Well for some girls it just is."

"Anyways, back to you. My advice," Kitty gestured for a waitress to come over. "Get my friend here a burger and fries, Mary."

"Coming up." Mary took the order and walked away.

"Where was I?" Kitty said aloud.

"Your great advice, Oh Oracle." Dean smirked.

"Smartass." Kitty popped him lightly aside the back of his head. "Go see your brother. Dean, in the end…family's all we got."

Kitty went off to go and see to her underage patrons, and Dean had to agree, only problem was, he didn't think Sam would. How important could family be to him if he could just go like that?

--


	2. Chapter 2

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Don't Stoke The Fire

**-2-**

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"Burgers, fries, and beers all around." Mike told their waitress.

"Sounds like a plan." She told them, looking at the other boy with a flirtatious smile, "That's it?"

"Yeah," Sam said, feeling Jessica's hand graze over his and still feeling nervous about all this. They could probably be arrested if they got caught.

The waitress didn't miss the blonde girl's movement, and frowned. "Right. Oh, and I'm gonna need some ID guys."

They all handed over their fake ID's Sam not very worried about that bit, after all, Dean made up his ID when Sam turned sixteen. Dean prided himself on the cops themselves not being able to distinguish a real one from one he'd made.

She handed them back. "My name's Roxy, by the way, and I'll be your waitress tonight."

"Why thank you so much Roxy." Mike told her with a grin, earning himself an elbow in the side from his girlfriend.

"Sure." She walked away, a bit disappointed, the tall one had been cute. Too bad that those ID's were faker than Pam Anderson's tits.

As she walked away Sam tried to glance back behind their table to get a glance of the bar but his view was impaired by tall walls and a mass of people. _Damn it. _

"Sa-a-a-am-y boy." Mike whistled, "Whoo! Hot waitress was all into you." Mike glanced at his girlfriend expecting another rib shot.

Amanda looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "You're an ass, Mike."

"I always thought it was nice." Mike shot back.

Amanda elbowed him again, then leaned over to whisper something in his ear that had him shutting his mouth quickly.

"It's Sam." Sam corrected him. Mike was the only one who insisted on doing that and Sam couldn't stand it. Two people in the world got away with it: his dad because, well, it was his dad; no matter how much he might disagree with the man…his dad was the only parent he had and he loved him, and Dean, but mostly because Dean was Dean.

"Mike, why are we coming to such a backwards sort of place?" Jessica asked, "I mean, this is where all the hicks and weirdoes hang out, we could have gone to Club Diablo..they've got Seventh Night playing all weekend."

"Yeah, well Kieran told me that he came here and they don't even care about serving to underage…and Diablo got those off-duty cops that card you like you're trying to get into the Pentagon."

"Who cares?" Amanda said, "I agree with Jessie, I want to dance…and you can get beer any where. We could have gone to the store bought a few cases, partied it up at the dorms and then gone dancing at Diablo."

"This is funner." Mike said, "You know, the thrill of maybe getting caught…"

"Yeah," Sam said, "Until we get arrested for fake ID's, and they throw us in jail for the night." He didn't see hide or hair of Dean or his dad, it was stupid to have thought he'd see either of them. It was just his dad being ridiculously obsessive...they were probably in some Midwest hick town after the demon of the week.

"No one likes a kill joy, Sam." Mike said, "Just...enjoy the night and I won't harass you for being a goody two shoes ever again."

"Yeah, right." Sam said.

"Okay, fine. For a week."

Sam snorted, "Whatever, dude. I swear, Stanford is going to expel your ass before junior year."

"No way." Mike said cockily, "My dad gives them too much money."

Amanda exchanged an impatient look with Jessica. "This is taking forever."

Jessica nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah, it shouldn't be taking this long for some burgers and fries, should it?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe they heard what a god Mike is, and want to be sure the food is to his liking."

Amanda and Jessica laughed.

"Laugh it up guys." Mike said with the permanent grin he seemed to have. "But if we left it up to Sammy Goody Two Shoes we'd all be in the dorms studying right now."

Sam rolled his eyes, unable to help the thought that was exactly where they should be. "Be right back." He said quietly to Jessica, "When she comes back can you ask her to get me an ice water? It looks like I'm gonna be the designated driver."

Jessica kissed him before he stood up, "Okay."

Sam had just left when Roxy came back with their food.

"Excuse me?" Jessica said, "Do you mind making one of those beers an ice water? My boyfriend's going to be the designated driver tonight."

"Not a problem." Roxy said, "I gotta backtrack for the drinks, I'll bring out a pitcher for everyone."

"Thanks."

Smart guy, Roxy thought, she wondered if he just chickened out or if he really was playing the responsible card. Either way he was lucky…her aunt usually put the under-aged that snuck in straight pretty fast.

--

Dean had to admit the food was pretty damn good, Kitty knew how to run a bar. He ate pretty fast, eager to get his things together and get out of there. He made up his mind, he'd stop by the dorm, if Sam was there…well he didn't know exactly what he was going to say yet but he had a half hour to figure it out. He'd have to make it fast though, he'd spent an hour at the bar and if he wasn't home by midnight he knew his dad would worry.

He could explain that he was going to see Sam, but that was a can of worms he just didn't want to go near.

He took a swig of his beer, left a tip on the table--Kitty had more than earned it--and decided to stop at the head before leaving.

Dean walked past Kitty and the table of kids who'd tried to get one over on her and had to laugh they reminded him of a couple of kids getting in trouble for the first time and getting a talking to from the principal. _Amateurs. _He'd never had someone so much as give a second glance at one of his.

--

John kept up his research from the time Dean left, looking at the door periodically, waiting for him to get back. He knew that Dean had only been out for an hour, but with this demon lurking around that they knew nothing about…it made him worry.

He was distracted from his worry when the phone rang, reminding him that worse case scenario he could call Dean on that new cell phone and check up on him make sure everything was okay.

"Hello?"

"John, its Caleb."

"Caleb." John was glad to hear from him Caleb was looking into the same demon and he hoped his friend had some better luck with trying track down something on the s.o.b.

"Good news John. I think I've found something that almost definitely helps us with this demon."

"What do you have?"

"Well, the town has had the usual, freak electrical storms, radio waves going haywire…"

John cleared his throat pointedly.

"But, right, you know all of that. I've been going through the recent missing persons reports…in the last three weeks twelve young guys in their twenties have all just up and disappeared, all over Northern California."

"A succubus?" John said, it made sense after all. Succubi and Incubi were the only demons he'd ever come across that had particular criteria for who they went after.

"With the number of disappearances, I'd say maybe a couple."

"Any chance you know where it could be nesting?"

"None, John. Sorry." Caleb said, "It's all been in a twenty-mile radius of Palo Alto, so I wanted to give you the heads up right away. I know you'd be taking this pretty personally with Sam being off on his own now."

John pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to call Dean. "You're not wrong. I'm going to call Dean, give him a heads up, and then head over to Stanford to make sure Sam's okay and that we don't have a bunch of demons preying on college kids."

"John," Caleb said quickly, "Maybe you should send Dean." Caleb couldn't believe he was making the suggestion. Hunting was one thing but when it came to the boys, John was fanatical, hopefully he'd hear him out, because he did know the deal and maybe this would help.

John thought about it for a minute, if anyone else suggested that…he'd be pissed; but Caleb was like a brother, he trusted his opinion and he knew Dean did too. Even Sam trusted Caleb.

"Hey, you said you wanted the boys to work it out. This way doesn't leave them with any other option."

"True." John said, but did he want his boys out there alone with demons trolling around for young guys.

"They're capable hunters, they can look after themselves." Caleb said, able to discern what his friend was thinking. "Or you can order them to come back to the motel, keep an eye on them both…maybe Sam can help. The kid's a genius with researching…beats me how he always hacked into those databases like he did."

"He's smart." John admitted, but he already knew that. Both of his boys were, took after their mom in that department, only difference was Sam had a motivation for knowledge, a hunger…Dean just had never been interested. John chalked it up to yet another thing he could blame on himself. "Sam ran away from hunting though, I don't know how well he'll take an order to lay low with Dean and I until this is over."

"Don't order." Caleb suggested, "Ask."

--


	3. Chapter 3

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Don't Stoke The Fire

**-3-**

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As Dean stood over the sink, shoveling water over his face, he contemplated whether or not he was looking straight at his answer.

Maybe he should just drown himself in the sink and absolve himself of having to make any sort of decision at all.

"Tempting." He mumbled to his reflection.

--

"Enjoying your meal, guys?" Kitty brought out the drinks, three beers and a pitcher of ice water.

"It's great." Mike said, "We were just waiting on the drinks."

As soon as she set the drinks down, Mike grabbed his and took a swig. As he swallowed a look of surprise popped up on his face.

"Something wrong, hun?"

"Uh..not really, its just….I ordered a beer."

"And you got one." Kitty replied.

"This is root beer." He told her.

"Only kind you'll be getting around here for…about two more years I'd say." Kitty told him.

The entire trio's eyes widened once they realized they'd been busted.

"Are you gonna call the cops?" Jessica asked, her parents were going to kill her if they had to bail her out of jail for underage drinking

"I could. You see, three of you ordered alcoholic beverages with fake ID, the one who didn't would get to go scot free…since you all look just as scared as a faun caught smack in the middle of rush hour…I'm thinking the honest one's no longer among us." Kitty glanced around, "Would I be right so far?"

"Completely." Amanda said quietly, hoping her mom wouldn't be enough of a bitch to make her sit in jail all night if this woman turned them in.

"Or, you can sit here, enjoy your meal and sodas, and we can agree that you've made a terrible mistake, hand over the fake ID's, and make sure you tell your friends that you got away with your fun, and we all win."

Jessica and Amanda handed theirs over straight-aways, but Mike seemed a little less willing.

"This is a limited time offer." She reminded him.

Mike handed over his ID begrudgingly.

"Smart kids, I'll be back in a bit to collect your friend's."

"That jerk, he totally played me." Mike grumbled, "That ID cost me two hundred bucks."

"Get over it." Amanda said, "We're _lucky _we're not spending the night in jail."

--

Sam was on his way to the restrooms when a guy with a surly frown stepped in his path, blocking him.

"Excuse me." Sam said, trying to be polite--he had learned from many of Dean's altercations that it was usually a smart ass comment that started a fight in these places--even though the night had just begun and he was already bored with it; _disappointed. _

He couldn't begin to explain to himself why he had gotten his hopes up, stupidly thinking that even if his dad and Dean were in town, they'd be hanging around at this hole in the wall. No, they'd be in some crap motel researching a devil's gate, or a demon, or a haunting.

The guy in his path hadn't yet moved but Sam wasn't exactly easily intimidated. He was probably…Sam had him pegged to be in his late twenties, and was about his height, and probably thought he was pretty bad ass.

Since Sam, however, had spent his formative years dealing with werewolves, windegos, and chubacabras…some drunk with a sour mood didn't scare him.

"You mind?" Sam said a bit more forcefully, "I'd like to get by."

"I do." He said taking a step closer, and narrowing his eyes at Sam. "You were hitting on my girl."

"No, I wasn't." Sam said, "Dude, I don't even know who your girl _is._"

"You were trying to hook up with my Roxy." He said, "_No one _tries putting the moves on my girlfriend."

Sam groaned, this was all about hot waitress? "You've got to be kidding me. Man, really I'm not ever interested in her."

Sam moved forward to push by him, he was so not even dealing with a bar fight tonight. The guy caught him by the shoulder and pushed him to the ground.

"You're not going anywhere, kid." He said.

Sam jumped up from the ground and hit him squarely in the jaw.

"Fight!" A male voice yelled out in the background.

--

When Dean walked out of the bathroom he realized that he had wasted a hell of a lot more time than he ever intended to. He was going to have to call his dad on the way down to Stanford and explain, his dad would understand; probably even agree. He could tell his dad was pretty worried about their being a hunt so close to Sam's school.

It gave him a perfect excuse to check up on him too. Dean had every intention of downplaying the entire thing as just being the big brother he'd always been; something evil was in town and so he was doing what he always did, making sure Sammy was okay.

He wouldn't mention Stanford, or the last year, or any of it…he couldn't. He was going to put on his best poker face, hope Sam didn't see right through it, and _pretend, pretend, pretend._

_The mantra of all normal, functioning families, _he told himself.

All his mental preparation flew out the window, when he had to duck to miss a head shot.

_What the hell…? Had hell broke loose in the five minutes he was in the bathroom?_

Dean stood back up, from ducking what he assumed was an unintentional hit and almost fell on his ass.

_Son of a bitch._

"Sammy." Dean realized he said it aloud and he and his brother made eye contact for all of a minute before a headshot brought Sam back to the fight.

Fucking asshole, Dean thought, jumping into the fight. That was a damn cheap shot, he should kill the guy for it, and kill Sam for letting him get the shot in. He had been taught damn better than that.

Dean punched him square in the jaw, and was shocked to see the quy barely register it…maybe not just a drunk who liked to fight.

He kicked Dean and he was knocked to the ground hearing a snap of something that he could only hope was not attached to his body.

--

Only one person on the planet had the capability of saying those two syllables and turning it into a swear word.

_Sammy._

Sam shouldn't have turned when he heard his name but, damn it, it was a natural thing. He locked eyes with his brother for a minute, just long enough for Roxy's idiot boyfriend to get one-up and sucker punch him.

After this fight was over Dean would kill him.

Sam punched him back, just as good as he was getting it and couldn't believe that this guy did not go down. What was he, a freakin' thoroughbred?

Sam felt a jerk of pain in his shoulder as his arm was grabbed and twisted around. No damn way, he hadn't seen his brother in a year he wasn't about to let the first time they caught up be marred with ridicule because he lost a fight to some idiot.

--

When the other guy twisted Sam's arm around and gained the upper hand Dean knocked him to the ground elbowing him in the face, hard.

The sudden release sent Sam flying to the ground in the other direction, cracking his head on a table.

Dean swiftly kicked their assailant and would have bashed the motherfucker's head in for screwing with his brother like that if he hadn't caught sight of the sickening crack of what he assumed to be Sam's head connecting with a wooden table end.

_Jesus Christ._

"Sam. Sammy." Dean pulled his brother up off of the ground, breathing a sigh of relief that he was conscious and checking him over. "Oh, fuck." Dean swore as he brought his hand to Sam's hair line and felt the stickiness of blood.

"I'm fine." Sam said, taking a step back from his brother and feeling like he was a little kid again.

He didn't want to be the little boy who went running to his brother when some bully tossed sand in his eyes. He was just as much of an adult as Dean was, he just wished Dean could see it.

"You could have a concussion." Dean said "We--"

Dean was interrupted as Jessica came running over flinging herself at Sam, hugging him.

"Oh my god, Sam. I saw the entire thing, almost…he could have killed you! Are you okay?"

"What the hell is going on?" Kitty asked, then looked at Dean. "Dean?" She then looked down and saw her niece's boyfriend on the ground. "Oh, for the love of all…Brock! Get your drunk ass off of my bar."

"Yours?" Dean questioned.

Kitty glanced at the bleeding teenager a foot or so from Dean that had the blonde from earlier clinging to him. "Niece's boyfriend…so yeah, mine."

"Mine." Dean said gesturing to his brother, still trying to figure out the girl, and half-thankful for the catastrophe that kept him distracted from having to deal with everything he had been feeling about the prospect about seeing his brother again.

"Everyone back to your corners!" Kitty hollered, "Nothing to see."

"My brother." Dean explained, giving Sam a odd look, he was damn curious about the cute blonde. Sammy had taste, he'd give his brother credit for that.

"And the fourth." Kitty said.

Dean looked at her confused.

"Part of my little party of underage drinkers." Kitty said, "The smart one, ordered water."

Of course he did, Dean thought, shaking his head…he swore…only Sam.

"Better bring him on back and we'll see about cleaning up that wound. You should make sure he sees a doctor make sure it isn't a concussion or need stitches…BROCK!"

He barely stirred on the ground. Kitty rolled her eyes, "I should thank you Dean, he needed that."

Dean grinned, "Uh…thanks for the offer Kitty," Dean felt in his pocket for his phone and swore inwardly. He's dead. Dean exchanged a look with Sam, then turned back to her. "My dad's really protective of little Sammy here. I better just swing right by an ER…Real funky town here though."

Kitty nods her head, and Sam looked to Dean. A year, but he wouldn't ever forget the codeword. Something was wrong.

--

"That's you're brother?" Jessica whispered to Sam.

Sam shrugged, this was a-typical, Dean always managed to make an entrance. He was sure his friends would talk about this until graduation.

"That's Dean." Sam groaned inwardly…he had forgotten just how much getting your head cracked open really seemed to hurt. Throbbing headache and all, he was still a bit curious about how Dean knew this bartender though. Unless Dean had completely dropped his old rules…she was a bit old for him.

"Are you okay?" Jessica asked looking at the cut on his head worriedly. "That looks like it hurts pretty bad."

"I've…" Sam was about to say he had worse injuries, but stopped. He never thought that Stanford would mean still having to keep up with a constant stream of lies but it was one of the things in his life that just never changed. Sam just smiled, "I'll survive."

"…a real funky town." Sam caught the end of Dean's statement.

Sam turned to Jess.

"Jess, I uh…need to go with Dean, with him and my dad in town, I should spend some time with them. My dad travels a lot for work, they aren't going to be in town for long."

_What was this? _Sam wondered, _Lie number 417?_

"Yeah," Jess said looking confused. "Okay Sam, just uh…call me, okay? And make sure you get that looked at."

"Don't worry." Sam said, "Trust me, Dean's not the type to let me forget it."

--

John Winchester was well acquainted with the feeling of being a worried parent. He worried about things that most parents didn't even consider, he worried about things that every parent in there right mind considered, and then there were the worries that overlapped.

Like when his son went out for a drink and didn't answer his phone on the third try, and there was a succubus on the loose, maybe more than one.

Or when he calls his younger son to let him know also a succubus is in town…he doesn't answer his phone either.

It terrified him.

John picked up the phone and dialed Dean's number again. Dean was too responsible--_too good_ of a hunter to not answer his phone, so something had to be wrong.

--


End file.
